Archive for May, 2009
The Field
Spin steady
So in the immortal words of You-know-who, I’m back. Big deal.
At work, with my headphones plugged in to avoid the intense discussion happening a table away, I am in hell. As always music saves my soul. It is now fascinating to watch my colleagues star in a mental music video I make to the tune of the song streaming through the headphones.
Its not so bad, in fact I am so busy, I listen to about a song a day. As Yohan put it eloquently in his mail, Drama Queen, I remain.
Enough rubbish, go listen to Mariyln Manson covering Dead or Alive’s classic and making it his own. What a guy. Trying singing it like a lunatic while riding a bike. The wind zooming into you makes you mouth go all weird and then you can sing perfectly like Manson, Wraaight rrrround baybeee, wraaaight wwroound.
Dreading abuse from the Network guys, I decided to download the Raconteurs album on the super fast internet at work.
It was well worth it, here is the first song I heard, what a song it is. Steady as she goes has lyrics that are shockingly in sync with my reality and that always helps me appreciate a song.
The third one is a bit of a gamble. Its from a band called Smoke Signals and features Kailash Kher. You can see a nice animated video of the song on youtube. Its not the greatest song, but Kher’s strong vocals are great and the lilting melody is a nice contrast. The lyrics in Hindi are wonderfully wistful. Blue Frog is a restaturant and an independent record company in Mumbai. they are quite cool the logo was done by Grandmother India and that’s another reason why I know them. They seem to be promoting quite prominsing young artists in India.
There is a promising band on the horizon called Advaita. An eight piece band, they are currently touring the UK and sound pretty damn good. They are proponents of “Indian psychadelia” and their music justifies the claim. I am expecting some of their music soon, so will post more on them after I have sampled the sound.
You spin me right round (Like a record) – Marilyn Manson [mp3]
Steady as she goes – The Raconteurs [mp3]
Summertime Rocks – Smoke Signals feat. Kailash Kher [mp3]
I Think
This blog is in desperate need of some (prog stalwarts) Pain of Salvation.
Here’s Second Love.
Inspired Bicycles
I really liked this song.
And the video’s pretty cool too. Except that it makes me feel like I’m completely wasting my life. But nothing new there, hence.
The Funeral by Band of Horses.
If anyone knows anything about the band, do speak.
Also, is that a fixed-gear bicycle? He seems to coast at some points… but at other points he pedals backwards and the bike moves backwards.
One Last Time
As I type, I’m listening to a slightly emo band called Thirteen Senses sing a song called Into The Fire. It’s a beautiful song. Piano-heavy, catchy chord progression, nice drumming, and a good voice.
Before this, Starsailor were singing about a Poor Misguided Fool with an attractive album cover.
I’m listening to the music for free, on Last.fm– the internet radio site that, back when Han introduced me to it a couple of years ago, opened up a New World of music to me. Especially with regard to my slightly arcane taste in progressive metal: Last.fm, with its unlimited free tag-based radio service, let me hear beautiful music I would never have been able to get my hands on otherwise. CDs by niche prog metal bands aren’t sold in India, and to illegally download music you first have to be aware of its existence– which wasn’t possible for me earlier.
But they’re some of the last few songs I’ll hear on Last.fm radio. On 22 April 2009 the site, apparently having been bought over by US giant CBS, discontinued its free radio service for listeners outside 3 countries: the US, the UK, and Germany. It determined that only those three demographies supported an ad-based radio service. Listeners in all other countries now get a 30-track “free trial”, after which they must subscribe to the radio at the rate of 3 euro a month.
The news came as a real shock to me– it was done quietly, slimily, and with almost no expression of regret by the site. That, combined with the fact that the rest of the world is essentially paying for the US, the UK, and the DE to continue to listen for free, has infuriated much of Last.fm’s listener base. It may make CBS money, but it was a huge PR blunder, and “RIP Last.fm; let’s find the next best thing” is the overwhelming sentiment.
I’m surprisingly upset about it. I can’t usually stand the “fuck the Establishment, save the mom-and-pop store from the retail giant” attitude that people bandy about. Fuck you, not the Establishment– so I usually think. Stop clinging to the past. Change is almost always good. So what if Green Day went commercial instead of being ‘really’ punk?
But really, this seems like a heart-wrenching sellout to The Man.
One commenter noted that he used to subscribe to Last.fm radio when it was free (subscription was optional), just to support the cause of the site. But now that subscription is compulsory, he’s not going to pay, even though he can.
I can afford to pay 3 euro a month. My broadband connection costs 5 times that. But only in real money– I don’t have a credit card, and anyway, paying for online services isn’t something I do. Except for scientific resources, there’s almost always a free alternative.
Ah, Ghosts are on. Stay The Night was the first song I downloaded after first hearing it on Last.fm. A fitting farewell.
Until I find the perfect replacement, I’m really going to miss Last.fm.
While Han and Tee can continue to listen to it for free.
Fuck you, life. I hate being stuck in the 3rd world.
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